INF internship program gives emerging professionals hands-on experience
Eight young professionals are gaining valuable, real-world experience this year through the Iowa Newspaper Foundation’s Internship Matching Funds Program—while making meaningful contributions to the newspapers and communities they serve.
Through the program, the INF provides $1,000 in matching funds to participating INA member newspapers to help support paid internships of at least 240 hours. Host newspapers select their interns and provide well-rounded experiences designed to introduce them to the many roles involved in producing strong local journalism.
At Algona Publishing Company, Flynn McCann is spending the summer writing and taking photographs for the Kossuth County Advance and Algona Reminder. An Algona High School graduate and rising sophomore at the University of Minnesota, McCann is majoring in strategic communication. His primary assignment is the Advance’s annual Progress Edition, for which he will schedule and conduct interviews and write between 40 and 60 profiles of area businesses and organizations. He is also covering general reporting assignments and features.
Iowa State University senior Kadin Luhmann joined Iowa Capital Dispatch in May and has already completed enterprise stories examining gaps in mental health care, political incivility and efforts to provide a more inclusive view of Iowa history. He has also contributed to coverage of higher education, agriculture, the environment and politics.
“Kadin has been an essential part of our staff this summer,” editor Kathie Obradovich said. “He’s gaining valuable experience, and because our newsroom shares content with other media, he’s picking up bylines from multiple outlets. We’re grateful for the Iowa Newspaper Foundation’s contribution to help make this internship possible.”
Luhmann described the experience as an opportunity to strengthen his portfolio while receiving editorial freedom and learning something new each day.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, reinforcing my passion for journalism and telling the stories of everyday people who may not be typically represented,” he said.
In Decorah, McKenna Haenel is helping strengthen the business side of local news. Haenel, who recently completed her freshman year of nursing school at Blackhawk Technical College in Wisconsin, is identifying prospective advertisers throughout the newspaper’s market area. She is researching competing publications and tourism guides, cataloging businesses and gathering contact information that the sales team can use to develop new leads.
Her work is helping the organization tackle an important project that otherwise might not be completed. By supporting efforts to grow advertising revenue, Haenel is also contributing to the newspaper’s ability to provide credible local news to Decorah and the surrounding area for years to come.
Mika McCool has been reporting on local businesses, schools and farmers for the Eastern Iowa Media Group, which includes the Dyersville Commercial, Manchester Press, Cascade Pioneer and Eastern Iowa Shopper. She has contributed to annual special sections and returned to sports photography by covering a high school series game at the Field of Dreams.
“This internship has been able to give me the hands-on experience of what the daily life of a reporter looks like, as well as experience with the various programs used on a daily basis,” McCool said. “Without this internship, I would be walking into the field blind.”
News editor Jake Bourgeois said the experience has allowed a local graduate to build community connections while developing a passion for the profession—and, hopefully, a future career in journalism.
At the Estherville News, Aubree Koop is building one of journalism’s most essential skills: confidently reaching out to people and conducting interviews. Koop, a rising first-year student at the University of Iowa, has interviewed community leaders, business owners, event organizers and public officials while also helping with source verification and fact-checking.
Her assignments have included covering the Emmet County Relay for Life, a summer jazz camp, a community fundraiser, a new tennis club and preparations for Estherville’s America 250 celebration. She has also reported on a speed-limit change affecting two-lane highways and interviewed the community’s new elementary school principal. Koop will finish her internship by covering the Emmet County Fair and learning more about county government and public affairs reporting.
“It has been not only great to have some of our key interviews placed into good hands, but also to give her skills and confidence to move ahead to her next chapter,” said Amy H. Peterson, the staff writer and photographer mentoring Koop.
Charley Young, a 2025 high school graduate, is receiving a similarly broad introduction to community journalism at The Record. Young covers school and community events, interviews business owners, takes photographs and assists with proofreading and data entry. She is also producing a 12-week series about notable Iowans in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary.
Publisher Simone Bates said Young’s creativity and enthusiasm have made an impression throughout the community.
“I am often stopped in the street by people who praise her latest articles or interviews,” Bates said. “It’s a great sign when new business owners ask to be interviewed by her. She has a ‘yes’ attitude to everything we ask of her and consistently delivers high-quality work.”
Bates has deliberately connected Young with young business owners—particularly women building successful businesses in small towns—to help her see the opportunities available in her own community.
“More than any skills or knowledge she picks up, I hope her interactions within the community show her she can find success right here in our small towns,” Bates said.
From interviewing public officials and photographing community events to researching advertisers and developing special publications, this year’s interns are gaining experience that cannot be replicated in a classroom. At the same time, their work is giving Iowa newspapers additional capacity, new ideas and stronger connections to the next generation.
The INF Internship Matching Funds Program is an investment in both sides of that partnership: helping young people discover where their talents can take them while strengthening the local news organizations that give them the opportunity to learn.